Small CCDs for guide cameras

[richard stover]

Dear CCD community,

Here at Lick we have several guide cameras which use an EEV 385x576
CCD.  We would like to upgrade these CCDs to something better.  The
small EEV ccds we have can not be used in MPP mode, so one of their
limiting factors is thermal background in our TE-cooled cameras.
EEV has the same size CCD with MPP implants, but the cost is about
ten times higher.  Does anyone have any suggestions for another
CCD of approximately the same size, but which also has MPP and is
relatively inexpensive?

Alternately, has anyone experimented with dynamic thermal suppression
as reported by the group at Lincoln Labs several years ago?


Thanks.

Richard Stover
Lick Observatory